Mid-Season Report Card: Chase Headley

By -
Grade: C-

As we continue to grade the Yankee players’ seasons at the halfway point, it is Chase Headley’s turn to be analyzed. Headley is currently in the midst of his third full season in the Bronx, which would make it his third consecutive mediocre season as the Yankees’ third baseman. After a scorching hot April, Headley’s dreadful play in May made him an extreme liability in the batting order. With Gleyber Torres’ injury, Headley has been given more time to try to finally prove to the Yankees that he was worth the 52-million-dollar contract that he signed prior to 2015.
Photo Credit: Sportsnet

First Half Performance:
Chase Headley silenced all of his former critics at the beginning of the season. In the month of April, Headley had an OBP of .402, and along with Aaron Judge and Starlin Castro, he helped carry a Yankee offense that was missing Didi Gregorius and Gary Sanchez. Everyone thought this could be Headley’s breakout season in the Bronx, after never putting up numbers like his 2012 season in San Diego.

The turn of the calendar was also the downward spiral of Headley’s season. He walked three times as little as he did in April, and his batting average was .140 points lower than it was in April. His struggles became so apparent that Joe Girardi sat Headley so he could “clear his head.” This method was unsuccessful as he continued to hit at a .446 OPS, which is lower than what Aaron Judge’s OBP alone has been for most of the season. Rumors circulated that a certain minor leaguer would take his job, but he unfortunately suffered a season ending injury that required Tommy John.
Photo Credit: The Runner
June was once again another story as Headley has hit close to .300 and has increased his walk rate back to where it was in April. However, his power numbers are extremely down and his SLG currently sits at a measly .365. He has hit only four home runs, three of which were in April, at the season’s halfway point.

 Second Half Expectations:

Miguel Andujar’s solid Major League debut showed the Yankees that there is a quality replacement within their organization, if Chase Headley fails to produce. With the pressure on him to perform, Headley will need to continue to hit for a good average to compensate for his career worst power numbers that he is currently displaying.

Headley’s biggest issue is his inability to hit southpaws. Headley is a switch hitter, and when he is on the right side, he becomes as close to an automatic out as it gets. Headley is slashing .184/.215/.263 against left handed pitchers. This split severely drags down Headley’s stats, and he needs to improve his right-handed swing or abandon it, if he wants to remain an everyday third baseman. If Headley fails to hit against lefties, expect Andujar or Torreyes to see more starts at the hot corner.

Conclusion:


Headley’s above average months of April and June are not reflected in his season statistics, due to his dreadful May. Headley’s inconsistency makes him extremely unpredictable, and fans are starting to get restless with their third baseman. With Torres out, Headley’s job is safer than it was a month ago, but with the Yankees’ dedication to getting younger, it would not be surprising to see Headley receive less and less at-bats against lefties and eventually possibly end up in a platoon-like situation. A grade of a C- may seem a little harsh for a player that had just one bad month, but it was reminiscent of his April in 2016 as his numbers were hurting his team way more than contributing to it for a large portion of the season.

 Article by: Ryan Thoms
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Frankie Crosetti: “King of Rings”

By -
Image
The New York Yankees have long been admired for their brilliant winning pedigree. They’ve won 27 World Series Championships, 40 American League Pennants and produced some of the greatest players the game of baseball has ever seen. They are truly the standard to which all teams in any sport are measured against. They’re the only team in baseball history to win four straight championships (1936-1939) and five straight (1949-1953). For 85 years, the original Yankee Stadium was the most hallowed ground in sports and home of some of the greatest games ever played. In 2009, that tradition continued as the Yankees won title number 27 in their first season at the new Yankee Stadium. Because of the team’s tremendous success, they’ve had players and coaches who have done a tremendous amount of winning (with apologies to Don Mattingly). Babe Ruth won four times, Joe DiMaggio nine, Mickey Mantle seven, and Lou Gehrig six. Then of course you had the man with the greatest sayings in baseball, the i…
Read more

Possible Yankees’ trade targets

By -
Image
The Yankees’ offseason is off to a great start. The club’s main focus all along was to add Gerrit Cole, finally giving New York the true, dominant Ace, they have needed.  In the days following, the team was able to retain veteran outfielder Brett Gardner.  Now, the Yankees could look to the trade market to round out their roster and get set for 2020. Let’s take a look at who could be available and how they could fit in pinstripes.

Read more

Six early trade targets for the New York Yankees

By -
Image
The Yankees currently sit at 32-17 and are on top of the AL East. Despite this, the team has some areas it could improve in; however, Brian Cashman will not have to dig into his pocketbook or pick up the phone to get all the help this team needs. The team is expecting reinforcements off of the IL on both sides of the ball over the course of the next two months, which should give this already successful team an even bigger boost. However, this does not mean the Yankees will be silent on the trade market as more injuries could amount, setbacks can happen, and other teams will acquire big pieces resulting in the Yankees not wanting to fall behind. The Yankees are coming off two consecutive successful regular seasons followed by postseason failures, and still have the minor league talent to swing some game-changing deals. With this in mind, here are six early candidates to keep an eye on as the major league season transitions into the summer months.

Read more